Sores on my gums

Sorry this is the best image i get the otherone so blur,i have this at behind my molar teeth on gums close to the cheeks, i dont know what it is but the pain is like canker sore/ulcer but it does not look like one, i have this pain for past three days,the first pic was three day ago and the second pic is today,sorry for bad english and picture.

Sorry this is the best image i get the otherone so blur,i have this at behind my molar teeth on gums close to the cheeks, i dont know what it is but the pain is like canker sore/ulcer but it does not look like one, i have this pain for past three days,the first pic was three day ago and the second pic is today,sorry for bad english and picture.

Hi everyone! Not sure if this is the best place to post this but looking for some advice on what this might be.
Last night I was woken up in the middle of the night with pain radiating from my canine tooth on the top left side of my mouth. The pain was constant and hurt more if I touched or pushed on the tooth. About 45 mins after waking up the pain started to go away and I went back to sleep. When I went to bed last night there was no pain whatsoever. Currently the tooth feels slightly sore but seems to be improving. I originally thought maybe something was caught in my gums (had popcorn the night before) that had been missed when I flossed but after flossing a few more times there was nothing caught in the gums.
I have never had pain like this occur before any insight on what it could be would be greatly appreciated. I am planning on going to the dentist to have it looked at in the next few days but wanted to see if I could do anything in the meantime. Thanks in advance!
TLDR: went to bed with no pain, woke up to pain radiating from my top left canine, the tooth was sensitive to touch.

I’m a can a day Smooth 3 user. Since the shortage, Smooth 3 is impossible to find. I bounced around to chill, coffee, smooth 6 when I can find it for the past month. And guess what, my gums are now destroyed. Sores on my tori, thin to the point where it feels like my bone might be exposing. Slight pain when chewing.
I have no other choice. I’m done. Not sure how I’ll deal with cravings but I will figure it out. I can’t use these things anymore.

I'm asking for an advice.
I have a scale and polish done last week 31/05 with the hygienist and felt pain in my gum since then. When I checked, I noticed that I have a wound on the crevices of my gum. I think they accidentally nicked my gum as it's all white and my inner cheek is skinned.
I keep on calling and emailing them to get me reviewed but they're been ignoring me which led me to book an appointment online sometime next week.
I'm just hoping it would heal. I dont know what to do.
I tried to put gengivel but I would only wake up with sore gum in the morning or every time I open my mouth.

For the past week or so, I've been battling a throat infection. Sore throat, fever, etc so the doctor prescribed me with amoxicillin - taking it for the 4th day and my gums have been progressively getting more and more painful, as well as the sides of my tongue. the only thing I've changed on my routine was taking the antibiotics, so I've been thinking. I know it's "strong" medicine and can cause adverse reactions on the body, could this be something like that? It might be completely unrelated but figured I might ask. Thank you all

I had to take my dentures out less than 3 hrs after putting them in today because I have a bad sore spot on the inside of my bottom gums. It got so bad I had to take them out. I have to call them Monday and see when I can go in for adjustments but in the meantime I will have to go without again due to the sore. Minor set back but I found a way to actually keep them in to eat so baby steps.

So today I finally got my doctors to get my STD panel blood works,I’ve took many test prior to my 90 days and I am having so much anxiety evening going to get checked my body was shaking and my penis was hurting more like throbbing I’ve tested negative for everything in past. Feb 28 the event happened I used protection not for oral throughout the stages I’ve experienced many anxiety events such as my penis urethra get inflamed but tested negative First march -2 Second march -15 Third - 30 STD
HIV 1+2 AB+HIV1P24 AG, CLA Normal value: Nonreactive This type of information cannot be graphed. Date Data table ^ Value Normal Range Mar 20, 2024 Nonreactive Nonreactive Mar 15, 2024 Nonreactive Nonreactive Mar 2, 2024 Nonreactive Nonreactive
CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS RNA, URINE, QUALITATIVE, NAA Normal value: Negative This type of information cannot be graphed. Date Data table ^ Value Normal Range May 13, 2024 Negative Negative Mar 15, 2024 Negative Negative Mar 2, 2024 Negative Negative
NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE RNA, URINE, QUALITATIVE, NAA Normal value: Negative graphed. This type of information cannot be Data table ^ Date Value Normal Range May 13, 2024 Negative Negative Mar 15, 2024 Negative Negative Mar 2, 2024 Negative Negative
Another HiV test oral at home kit Negative twice
Syphis negative on the 15th march
What’s the odd of me having anything or it’s anxiety
Penis throbbing once in awhile especially when anxiety Cankor sores on gums had them in past but not like this but never had experience anxiety like this my teeth weren’t the best but they managed to get kinda bad but with brushing it’s gone away but not as fast I’ll like and in the back of my tongue I have white which is hard to brush away mind I have cankor sores and smoke weed pen
I also got x-rays I tested positive for tuberculosis latent inactivate
What’s the odds of my having anything or it’s anxiety
Going to Kaiser today 4th gen June 8th
This is such a life lesson. Any feedback will be amazing This is the longest I’ve ever wrote I’ll appreciate it and I’ll to share my experience with others

Before the encounter i brushed my teeth really hard had mint lip balm on that does get tingly on the lips and I chewed gum as well as had mints. He did mention that my breath wasn't the freshest when we first met so I wanted to make sure the second time we met it would be okay I am not sure if I have oral thrush. I went to the dentist and i told them my gums had small little bubbles on them and they said it was because i brushed too hard. We used a condom and i gave oral with a condom on. There was lube used so I'm not sure if I was allergic to the condom or lube 2 days later. We kissed so im not sure if it is oral herpes. I went to the dr and the dr said it was allegeric dermatitis and that it was not herpes. I took a test 4-6 weeks later and everything came up negative. About a month later I used mouthwash and my inner lip had a red spot with a very tiny bump about a pen mark size that did not hurt but can feel that it was there. The sore was underneath my top lip. I'm not sure if I am allergic to anything. Then later on again I got tingling on my lips in a section, my throat was alittle sore then I ate food and my lips started to burn. I have seasonal allergies so my throat does have that little grit to it from pollen. I am not sure what is going on with my lips but I am going to take another test at the 90 days mark June 21st. I also had small itchy bumps on my face so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with my lips with the weird rash like sore with the pen mark bump showing up. I'm just really exhausted trying to figure out what's wrong with me. I never had problems with my lips before and im not sure if it is herpes. I also have athletes foot going on not sure if i touched my mouth at all.. I will update once I go to the dr but anyone ever dealt with something like this before?

Wednesday I went to the dentist for my routine checkup. Nothing out of the ordinary, but tartar removal needed as always. My gums where a bit inflamed as well and especially around my lower wisdom teeth (I’ve worked on my brushing to shift the residual gum that grows over them)
Now, however I have a toothache in my left lower wisdom tooth and it has gotten progressively worse since Wednesday, reaching a pain 5-6 level today after brushing and rinsing with chlorhexidine mouthwash.
I’d say I feel the pain around my tooth but also a little towards my ear, in my jaw and in my tongue. I’ve just taken a ibuprofen tablet to hopefully be able to sleep.
Is this ”normal”? Or do I have cause for concern?
Since my dentists office doesn’t open again until Monday, is it safe to wait for the pain to pass or could I be having some sort of inflammation that could spread?
The rest of my mouth is not sore from the treatment.

I have no idea what to do. I need some guidance. I live in Indiana, and malpractice cases are almost IMPOSSIBLE to win unless a surgeon amputated the wrong body part/did surgery on the wrong person.
Backstory:: Back in October 2023, I got 4 fillings done in one appointment. It was not in my treatment plan that one was extremely deep, nor was I informed that it would possibly turn into a root canal. I was only told that very back right bottom tooth (#31 for me) was deep after the dentist drilled, and that he would put some medicine in it. As he was drilling, I complained that it hurt. None of my other teeth hurt during the procedure, and none of my teeth hurt before the procedure. They gave me another shot of numbing and carried on.
During the fillings, that one tooth still hurt as his assistant was filling it. She was STRUGGLING to fill all 4 teeth. Constantly complaining that my mouth was small, pushing and pulling on my face. After 2 hours of laying in the chair, I started sobbing. My cheeks hurt, the one back filling hurt, my jaw hurt. I did not get a cheek/lip guard offered to me. The assistant had to yank out the filling mold (the thing that goes around each tooth to maintain its’ shape) and hurt my gums each time. Needless to say, I was incredibly sore for a couple of days.
Two days after those fillings, I’m at an urgent care getting Angular Chelitis treatment on the corner of my mouth that was pulled and pushed on. I called my dentist and he said it was just from the friction. I could barely eat. It was so painful.
For about 3 months, I had pain off and on in that one tooth that hurt during the procedure. I had the tooth looked at on 3 separate occasions. The dentist just shaved down the filling to “fix my bite.” I pushed that there might be more, and he said I needed my impacted wisdom teeth out and that might be causing the pain in my tooth.
I just dealt with the pain. I couldn’t get in to see an oral surgeon because it was not in my budget. I thought I could just wait and save.
Come May 17th, I woke up at 2 AM to excruciating pain in that tooth. Hot, constant throbbing and aching that couldn’t be alleviated with OTC pain meds. I remember my dentist telling me that my wisdom teeth could cause a lot of pain. What did I do? Went and got my wisdom teeth out. All 4, surgically removed.
I had the worst recovery. Constant pain in that tooth that norco didn’t touch. I went to my oral surgeon 3 times to address it. He put me on antibiotics to help with swelling in my throat and cheeks. Huh… pain went away?
By a week after my surgery, I felt great. I took all of my antibiotics as prescribed. Now I’m out of antibiotics and the pain comes back. Worse this time. Got to the oral surgeon, he takes an x-ray. Finds that the filling I received in October is right on top of my nerve.
I immediately schedule an appointment with a new dentist. She confirms that the tooth is infected, dead, the filling is indeed touching my nerve, and the filling is chipped. I need a $3200 root canal and crown that I was never warned about.
Hmmm… It all makes sense. Is this negligence?? What can I do?

Hello all
29 M here.
I noticed yesterday this pain where my upper wisdom tooth was. Right side by the jaw joint? I could touch the gum or area and it would hurt. By the end of the day I was so hyper focused on it that was miserable. No real bad pain. Just an annoyance. Today it’s better but the pain seems to be in the jaw today. It’s kind of a numbing pain but not really numbing? Idk odd way to describe it. Im able to eat, drink talk etc all fine. I did t know If this is TMJ. or allergies.. sinus issues etc.
I take a SSRI that can cause TMJ.. I’ve been stressed here latley and I’m also on a PPI that I know depletes my vitamins.. I’ve been taking supplements to help. I’m not worried of any infections etc as my gums show healthy. No sores. The tooth that was pulled was a clean pull. And well over a year or two ago

More on why BCAA’s aren’t beneficial.
We don’t suggest BCAA’s as they are unnecessary especially when one is already eating sufficient protein, and the same applies to EEAAs.
Just get adequate whole food animal protein, then add some whey / casien / egg white protein powder if needed.
———
BCAA Supplements: The Prime Emperor(s) Have No Clothes via Stu Phillips
“I have BCAAs as #3 (maybe 4) on my list of useless supplements, but they're like gum on your shoe, thanks to marketing!”
Key points:

• BCAAs' impact on muscle protein synthesis is minimal with adequate dietary protein.
  
• Studies show no additional muscle hypertrophy or strength from BCAA supplements when sufficient protein is consumed (1.6 g/kg/day).
  
• Questionable effects on muscle recovery: reduced muscle soreness doesn't translate to improved performance or growth.
  
• Activation of anabolic pathways like mTORC1 by BCAAs alone is insufficient for significant muscle growth or performance improvements.
  
• Investing in diverse protein sources and overall nutritional adequacy is more effective than BCAA supplements.
  

“Save your money - BCAAs (and EEAAs) do not promote gains; they do not enhance performance; they do nothing except suck money from your pocket."
Scientific consensus: Over-hyped marketing of BCAA supplements often contradicts the evidence.
For muscle performance and growth, stick to protein.
References:
PMID: 33741748 PMID: 36235655 PMID: 38241335
P.S. BCAAs also do not inhibit muscle proteolysis (which is trivial anyway) during Intermittent Fasting.
Link to original tweet below:
https://x.com/mackinprof/status/1799046222541697356?s=46&t=EYFXlLAlCq2vhV7x4itzGg

Can someone please help me learn about what ebv is? i went to the hospital 2 times within the past 4 weeks the first time i got tested there was all negative results however the second time i got tested i tested positive for ebv however the doctor told me i had it in the past and its not currently active. I was completely shocked because i was in so much pain i was in the hospital because i thought i literally had cancer. however a week has past now and i have gotten the definition of WORSE. It hurts to walk i can barely move my left arm because it is in such throbbing pain. i feel like i was left with a cliffhanger with my ebv diagnosis. this feels horrible. some of my symptoms are canker sores on my gums and feeling like i have a big sharp rock in my throat. horrible headaches and confusion and itchiness. i could go on and on. does anybody know when this will end ive never experienced such pain in my life and the diagnosis just makes no sense because i was literally tested 2 weeks before my positive test and i was clean. now its ebv??

Here, I am very sick with a sore throat and painful swelling in my gums, scrolling through dating apps and grindr. While the men I like are so hot and way out of my league, I am here consuming the fifth bowl of dahl (lentil soup) and 20th biscuit dipped in tea and can't stop thinking about how I am back in a calorie surplus and how this week's work has been shat on.
I never cared about how I looked. Always an overweight studious kid. I was born in a very homophobic country. Moved to another anti-gay country for college. Got comfortable with the fact that I was gay, blamed not being able to find a bf on being in a very homophobic environment. Gained a lot of weight, got fatty lived disease, had health problems.
Lost a lot of weight when I went home after graduation. Moved to the west very recently for my PhD, in a city with a vibrant LGBT people. I lost a lot more weight and all my health problems were gone. But I am still overweight,.. probably okayish by straight standards. I hate myself for looking the way I look. I go to the gym regularly, and try to diet. But my body just hates me, I am hungry and weak all the time. If I eat enough so that I am not hungry and weak, I start gaining weight again. My belly hangs over making two pouches. I just wanna slice my stomach using a knife. I am not attracted to men who look like me. I am just not. I can't expect men to be attracted to me. No one wants to date me. I rarely get any matches on Tinder or Hinge. I have swiped through all of Tinder within 40 kms radius. Bought HingeX and several boosts, nothing. I have never made past a second date, or managed to hook up a second time. I am so freaking ugly.
Changed my skincare, got rid of acne, I still hate my rought skin. Still looking at blackheads on my nose. Of course no man would want that. I hate how hairy I am. Being South Asian, I hate growing so much hair. My ass looks so bad. There is cellulitie and loose skin. Men must be repulsed by the idea of having more than sex with me, loving me.
Here, I am tired, having given up. Thought I will move to the west, find someone to be gay with. I feel desexualised, unwanted. Rarely any one is interested in me. I am ugly as fuck. I can't loose fat. I try to loose fat, I end up loosing much more muscle. I also have gained a recceding hairline. Minoxidil isn't working. I wish I was handsome. I wish people desired me.
There are so many things repulsive about me. I didn't wanna share my dick pic. But he insisted. I reluctantly shared. He ghosted me. Another time, I shared my body pic, I was ghosted. Another time, blocked.
I can't focus on my PhD work. I don't seem to have any energy all day. I have finally had a breakdown now. I guess I can't have it all. Some of us are just gifted with bad genetics. I am gonna die alone.
I look at other men. Most seem to be fit and hot. They don't desire me.
What was even the point of leaving everyone I loved? Revolting against my culture? I moved continents twice so that I can be gay. Now that I am surrounded by openly gay people, no one wants me.
I am sorry for the rant.
TLDR: Live in a very gay city, but no one wants to date me because I can't stop stuffing my mouth as I am a pig.

At one point in my life, I nearly lost my sanity. The madness started off as a nightmare, then it leaked into my days.
At first, it was quiet and slow, like the daddy long-leg spider spinning its web in the corner of the ceiling. Then, with a few seconds between each one, water droplets dripped from the faucet into the sink. Each drop rang the same flat, dead note, echoing throughout the apartment. The wallpaper had turned increasingly yellow with every drop, but not a vibrant yellow. Rather, it was sickly and jaundiced, like a dying canary with its feathers falling off.
There was a tear as well. A loose sliver of wallpaper flapped back and forth as the wind blew in through an opened window. It reminded me of the way fatty, loose, and wrinkled skin jiggles within an old woman's armpit. The flap of wallpaper hid something, resembling a head. It lacked eyes, mouth, or nose—just the veiled impression of a head. But before I could get a good look, I was torn from the mystery by the screech of my alarm clock.
I went into the kitchen to find that yesterday’s delivery of bread had gone bad. The nightmare had eaten it from the inside out, leaving nothing but black crumbs for me to scrounge from the floor. When I opened the fridge door, an odor assaulted my nostrils. All the beverages had gone sour, the eggs were cracked, and the greens had browned and withered. With a sigh of defeat, I closed the fridge door. I would have to buy new groceries. But that would mean leaving this apartment, going outside.
Outside.
Out into the world, with all its chaos.
That was where the nightmare wanted me to go. But I wasn't ready, not yet. I couldn't just walk out my front door. It wasn't that easy. Going outside required preparation, and even thinking about the process of getting ready made my head throb. My chest started to ache, as if all the air had been squeezed out of my lungs. I sat in the kitchen, motionless, only listening to the noise of eight spindly legs as they incessantly worked toward some unknown goal.
The spider had spun its web across the ceiling, and the light danced upon it, its long, pale fingers plucking the strings. In an odd way, I couldn't help but marvel at its beauty as it shimmered. It resonated with the muted buzz of trapped insects, mummified victims awaiting their demise in Saran wrap. I could feel their suffocation as the air was squeezed from their lungs. Their frantic movements came to an abrupt halt as the spider reeled them closer.
A silent panic enveloped the walls, and its deathly yellow tinge cast a darker hue than congealed mustard over everything around it.
Like the fading bathroom light, which glowed in a murky gold that shimmered weakly now and then, my reflection in the mirror appeared as a featureless black shape. Cold drops traced over my closed eyelids, the bridge of my nose, my lips, my chin, and cheeks. One of my molars was loose in my mouth, and I lazily flicked it with the tip of my tongue while the rest remained firm and pearly white. There was no pain, only the dread of unlocking the front door, weighing heavily on my stomach.
How did it all start? How did it come to this? There was a time in my life when I didn't feel this unending sickness, this terrible sense of foreboding. There was a time when nightmares confined themselves to my sleep, and sometimes I didn't dream at all. In those innocent days, I had a job, a dull, dead-end office job with my own cubicle. It was a white, square space, and I was just one of a hundred dull, white-collared office drones in identical cubicles. Faceless, uniformed, synchronized. That's what I remembered from the old days.
I sat there, looking at papers stacked in rows that reached such towering heights they seemed to stretch into infinity. Just gazing up at them would strain my neck, their sheer magnitude bearing an intimidating resemblance to the frieze of Roman columns. It brought to mind arched ceilings adorned with intricately carved animal faces and mythical gods entwined in vines. It served as a reminder of just how small and insignificant one could feel, like an ant that could easily be squished beneath the toe of one of those carved deities.
Yet, in my cubicle, there was no beautiful artwork to behold. Instead, my gaze was met with an endless, nauseating expanse of blinding, bright whiteness. The fluorescent lights overhead forced my irises to shrink to the size of a grain. The towering stack of paperwork loomed over me, trembling with every touch, as if threatening to crumble into a million pieces. As the electric fan above blew in my direction, one lone piece of paper teetered on the edge, inching its way over and descending like a delicate feather, finally landing right in front of me.
The page before me remained blank, serving as a mere surface for my coffee mug. Suddenly, I found myself unable to lift the pen, unable to write. All I could manage was to shift uncomfortably in my chair as my left leg trembled uncontrollably. The fluorescent lights above grew increasingly brighter, their heat intensifying as if licking at the back of my neck.
I felt overwhelmed in the vast expanse of cubicles, lost amidst the faceless crowd where everyone consumed the same sandwich and salad, where our dreams blended together into a monotonous haze. In this world, each one of us bore monosyllabic names and identical haircuts.
In an abrupt act, I dropped the pen and abandoned my desk. In the blink of an eye, I found myself outside, perched on the ledge of the 49th floor of the building. The wind jeered at me with a malicious force, while the city and its inhabitants below appeared smaller than ants. Leaning against the building, most people would tremble at such dizzying heights. However, I calmly observed the birds soaring by, vanishing into the clouds as they drifted across the vast expanse of the blue sky, akin to white caps crashing against rugged rocks on a distant shore. I stood at the precipice, poised to leap into the vast unknown, longing to finally awaken from this torment.
Yet, I did not.
Instead, I found myself returning to my desk once more. My coffee mug, bearing a small crack at the bottom, bled onto the blank page, leaving behind a peculiar mark. It almost resembled the shape of a head, faceless and haunting, with invisible eyes that seemed to follow me relentlessly. Though I crumpled up that sheet of paper and discarded it, its presence lingered. As I sat at the desk, absentmindedly rolling the pen between my fingers, its shadow loomed over me, breathing down my neck, prickling my skin and hair like nettles.
The paperwork continued to mount, growing higher and higher, causing the Roman columns to tremble and sway unsteadily. Under its weight, the desk's joints creaked and shuddered. My shoulders ached, worn down by the relentless gaze of the faceless presence. The once-bright light above me became blinding, making the ink from my pen seemingly vanish from the white page.
As the pen slipped from my trembling hand and fell to the floor, the colonnade collapsed, its destruction drowned out by a cacophony of shuffling papers, ringing phones, and the mocking chatter of the wall clock ticking away. I ran down the hallway, propelled by a surge of desperation, bolted through the emergency door, and descended 49 flights of stairs with reckless abandon.
For eight months, I could not bring myself to return to that suffocating cubicle. I imagined it sitting there, empty and abandoned, with only traces of my work lingering stubbornly, like weathered remnants of ancient Rome's walls and columns. I remained stagnant, caught between the past and the future, unable to move backward or forward. Instead, I remained anchored to this apartment, gripped by an inexplicable fear that constricted my lungs and relentlessly throbbed in my heart.
In this little studio, I believed I was safe, if only for a fleeting moment. But now, I could no longer divert my gaze as the nightmare crept out from within the walls, causing the lights to flicker and devouring my food from the inside out.
But still, I couldn't bring myself to step outside, not today. The sky appeared too yellow, too sickly. Perhaps tomorrow would offer a better opportunity. The outside air seemed tainted, unfit to breathe on this particular day. There was something amiss, something poisonous lingering in the atmosphere. Its taste lingered in my mouth, reminiscent of chewing on cotton balls soaked in stale mustard. No amount of milk or vodka could wash it away. It clung to my tongue, playfully flicking against a dangling nerve of one of my teeth.
I vigorously brushed my tongue with a toothbrush, scrubbing until its pristine white coat turned crimson. I winced as I rinsed it with hot water, hoping to alleviate the sensation. Yet, the taste persisted, stubbornly clinging to the tip of my tongue.
Like a horrible itch.
Burning.
Stinging.
Pinching pain.
A glorious red ring with a yellow gem.
I tried to pinch it between my thumb and forefinger, and tears welled up in my eyes. The stinging pain radiated from the tip of my tongue, spreading through my entire being. Yet, it remained, gleaming at me like an ugly sun smirking behind a shroud of smog. The wind persistently blew through the flap in the wallpaper, seeping in through the window. I could sense the presence lurking behind it, fixating its gaze upon me.
As I locked eyes with it, I stood frozen in place. My mouth hung open as the impossible unfolded before me.
It formed a smile without lips and let out a laugh. The sound was flat and dissonant, akin to the incessant drip of water from that wretched loose faucet, slithering down the sink's throat. That same corroded throat into which I had gagged and expelled blood and bile from my stomach. I felt as though all the blood had drained from my face. With trepidation, I raised my eyes to the dirty mirror above the sink. Reflecting back at me was nothing but a husk, a ghost of my former self.
But upon closer inspection, I noticed a change. It crept along at a sluggish, excruciating pace. It began with the whites of my eyes, now tinged with yellow. Yellow. And my pupils were as pitch-black and vacant as a sinkhole. My teeth, too, were misaligned and yellow-ish brown. I had neglected to brush them for weeks, perhaps months, to the point where a layer of plaque had encrusted their surface and wedged between them.
The tooth at the back could no longer find its place. I tapped it once more with the tip of my tongue, feeling its jagged edge scrape against the tender yellow sore. And then it dislodged, bouncing around in my mouth. In sheer disgust, I spat it out. The blood marked a trail to the sinkhole, dangerously close to its edge. I ran my tongue over the remaining teeth, sensing them shift in their positions. Soon, one after another, they cracked and fell, and the little red dots swirled and twirled along with them in the sink. Only a few teeth stubbornly clung to the front, refusing to let go.
You look so ugly. I remembered those words. A colleague had once said them to me during lunch.
"And you look like smeared shit," I shot back. We sat in the corner of the cafeteria, hunched over our sandwiches and coffee. That lipless, smiling joker told me to calm down, claiming they didn't mean it. Oh, how the others laughed. I couldn't bring myself to look any of them in the face.
Weren't we supposed to be friends? Friends who winked and smiled as they plunged knives into your gut, watching your insides spill onto the floor. Friends who pretended to sympathize as they picked up your organs, attempting to put them back, telling you it was just a joke. All wounds heal, they said. But this scar remained hidden beneath my clothes. I was the punchline of the jokes friends liked to share.
When lunch ended, everyone returned to their cubicles. Everyone except me. I sneaked away for a quick trip to the restroom. It was then that I began to feel the tooth move. I flicked it with my tongue.
Flick. Flick.
As all of this came to me, I couldn't even stand to look my reflection in the eye. At least, not without feeling the urge to destroy it, shattering every remaining shard of glass into the sink. The thing behind the wallpaper smiled wider, revealing a row of straight white teeth held together by browning gums. Its deep chuckle resonated throughout the apartment, grating against my skin and pinching my nerves. With every ounce of my dwindling strength, I clenched my fists.
Don't laugh at me.
Don't.
Laugh.
I pushed away the dangling piece of wallpaper and came face to face with it. Straight white teeth. Wide white eyes. Look how it mocked me. Sneered at me. What did it want from me? Why had it intruded into my world?
"Go back! Look at everything you've taken from me. Please, just let me have this day!" I pleaded.
It said nothing in response. Its smile only widened, stretching across the wall and tearing new lines through the wallpaper. The wood snapped and cracked. The nails and joints creaked from within. The wall heaved in and out like someone dying from laughter, gasping for air in desperate suffocation.
Stop laughing.
I took hold of the fluttering piece and traveled along the wall, crushing it in my clenched fist. It felt strange in my hand, warm and soft, almost like dry human skin. The thing's smile now appeared strained, as if it were attempting to endure some hidden anguish. Despite its pride, it couldn't let me hear its soft squeaks of pain. But the more I ripped away, the deeper I dug my fingers into its soft tissue, the tighter it clenched its teeth. With each tightening grip, it began to bleed, its blood seeping under my fingernails. Tears welled up in its eyes.
Nowhere inside me was there an ounce of pity for it. I felt nothing. Seething contempt was all that remained within me. I tore away at every inch of its skin, dismantling it from one end to the other until there was nothing left but its fragile bones. Its discarded skin littered the floor, staining the carpet with its blood. Cockroaches scurried in and out of its empty sockets, while termites nibbled at the wood in its final dying breaths. Just as I began to turn away, I noticed something at the center. Stuck between its ribs was a dead canary. The bird's color had faded to gray, its lifeless body consumed from the inside out, its remaining insides shriveled to crumbs.
I cooled myself down with a handful of freezing water from the faucet. When I opened my eyes, I no longer saw the featureless black shape staring back at me. My teeth were intact. The bubble on my tongue had burst, oozing its yellow pus. Its taste was sour, like mustard churning in expired milk.
The faucet continued to leak.
I realized I had forgotten to properly wash my hands. My fingernails were caked with blood and grime. I reasoned that I could do it later, perhaps before I went grocery shopping. You see, I could do everything later.
But right now, all I wanted was sleep.

23F, 5'6 155lb. Ever since I got my wisdom teeth out 5 years ago i've had occasional aches back there in the gum area. I always figured it's just tender open gum. 4 weeks ago I developed a mouth abscess on the upper gum where my wisdom tooth used to be. I gave it a week to see if it was just a canker sore or to see if it would improve on its own but it got worse so I scheduled a dentist appt. By then it's much worse. 1.5 weeks ago I also got bit by a dog and got put on amoxicillin to prevent infection.
Dentist took one look and said it's an infection and will need root canal (probably) for that back molar. Lucky for me I'm already on antibiotics. They referred me to endodontist. I call endodontist and they said ok we can initially see you in 2 weeks (i'm not even sure if they would do the procedure there or if this is just to see if i need one..). I can't wait two weeks, it's getting worse. I call back the next day and ask if any sooner appointments opened up, they said no but i'm on the wait list for cancellations.
Fast forward to the past 3 days it's been getting more and more discomforting. Last night I finally took a flashlight to look back there and the abscess was oozing blood and then pus. Why is it getting worse if i'm on amoxicillin? Then I remembered last year when I got the worst sinus infection ever (which also started with pain in the same spot in my upper mouth), and they gave me amoxicillin and the infection kept getting wayyyy worse until they changed the prescription to a different antibiotic. At that time, the dr said the last dr who prescribed me amoxicillin made a horrible decision because amoxicillin won't help a sinus infection at all (his words not mine). But looking back at it, am i (or my bacteria) just resistant to amoxicillin?
When I google about mouth abscesses and infections, everything says it is absolutely an emergency. Why are they making me wait 2 weeks with a worsening infection that is excreting fluids? Should I call around and find someone who will take me sooner? Should I find an emergency dentist? I really can't see myself waiting all the way until the 14th :(

I am a reseller that recently scored some decent baseball cards and have not been a collector since I was shoving them in my Schwin Orange Crate spokes as a kid.The last pack I ripped I was actually trying to get the gum.I played baseball up until college and was able to jack a few homers and a grand slam once.I practiced all the time but as far would have it I just sucked,but I liked playing the game.I did grow up to be a pro Archer in the NFAA also and as luck would have it I sucked at that too.Hanging with some of the top archers was such a great experience even though I wasted most of my life poor and sucky I just figure at least I tried.Archery is not a televised sport and it does not draw big crowds.I was just thinking I would like to pay some of the great archers past and present with making collector cards for them.I do have some printing and graphics knowledge and seriously would like to just hand out some cards to the people who treated me so well when my equipment broke.Or always treated me as an equal when I came in beyond last everytime.I quit checking my stats ,I might have came in second to last maybe once or twice lols.I can laugh about it because shooting my bow makes me happy and I can still out shoot about 5 percent of new archers out there who don’t know how to shoot.If someone steals this idea I really don’t care either.I lost my pro card this year and I won’t get it back till I qualify.If I do get it back make me a born again RC card 😆.I would just like to get some nice cards made to brand and hand packs out to the kids and the shooters.One of the best days of my life was signing over 250 autographs for kids until my hand was sore and then spending time at the range with some of those kids and their parents helping them to get better scores.I did get beat by a 4 year old and I will cherish every moment of the joy on that kids face and how proud her dad was of her.It was a good life in experience.I know how to do sublimation,screen printing,heat transfer and what not.Where do I start to make archery specific brand cards even if it is just a thank you to all the world class shooters that have treated me so well with respect even though I just don’t have what it takes to hang with this skill level of what I am proud to call my peers?I am a Pete Rose fan and when I made it to the World Indoor championships in vegas I hit the bookies to see if anyone was even betting on me.I could not be found on the sports books anywhere and I would have never wagered on myself because I know how bad I am.You sports cards people got me wanting to rip some of the same packs I ripped for the gun again.Thank you for entertaining my old azz here and I need son direction to point me where to get some archery cards produced.Yes I want to learn more and here more about oddball sports cards.Thank you for you time.💖

Can you get sores on your gums as well ? I am diagnosed with hvs1 but I hadn’t have any outbreaks just my initial one when I was diagnosed but now I’m experiencing a burning sensation on my left arm tingling sensation as well and I feel like my legs have this weird twitch feeling even a tingling feeling I also feel like flu like symptoms is this normal ?